A Sudden Need For Privacy
by WeAreCylons
Summary: If Bill Adama had not been brooding about his life, he surely would have noticed the marines lingering in front of the entrance of Galactica's gym. In other words, he would have been prepared for what was expecting him inside the small room, stuffed with fitness equipment of all kind. ONE SHOT A/R set some point after A Day In The Life


Disclaimer: BSG (2003) and all characters involved are property of Ron D. Moore. I merely borrowed his playthings to play a bit in his sandbox.

Enjoy, C!

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If Bill Adama had not been brooding about his life, he surely would have noticed the marines lingering in front of the entrance of Galactica's gym. In other words, he would have been prepared for what was expecting him inside the small room, stuffed with fitness equipment of all kind.

As it was, the moody Admiral opened the hatch not knowing that the President, one of the causes for his brooding, had decided to visit the gym too on that day. He was aware that since their meeting a few days ago, she had been spotted there frequently but so far he had never encountered her personally. Which was a good thing he thought; it was better, no safer, if they did not spent too much time together. They had responsibilities after all…

However, the first thing Adama was greeted by when entering the room, was the well known aroma of sweat and a certain smell of old mouldy air which, even though the air conditioning was working perfectly all right, somehow seemed to be impossible to get rid of. It simply smelled like the insides of old shoes. The second thing he noted was the noise, a quick look around told him that there were not that many people present, still annoying loud laughter was coming from the right corner on the opposite side of the room – Starbuck was in the room. Bill smiled; usually the noise would have aggravated him even more but the prospect of having the chance to workout with Kara was an uplifting one. It had been a while since he last had the chance to do something with his surrogate daughter, other than military work of course. The more he thought about it he realised that he had not engaged with her personally since a drinking party on the mud-hole, known as New Caprica. A little workout and a friendly round of sparring might bring them back on track.

He made his way over to Starbuck's corner, greeting other crew members on the way. When he reached his destination however, he had to discover what he could have guessed long before: Laura Roslin was lying on the bench press, dressed in workout clothes and covered in a glistening layer of sweat. Adama swallowed, the sight was tempting...not exactly what he had been looking for when deciding to pay the gym a visit.

Starbuck was talking with the president in a very animated way. Since she had her back turned towards him she was unable to notice his approach, however the president whose expression had been relaxed though seriously focused on the younger woman, spotted him as soon as he got into her visional range.

"Hello there", she greeted him with a warm smile and heaved herself into a sitting position so she was no longer seeing her surroundings from an upside-down view.

"Admiral!" Starbuck had turned around when the president acknowledged him and was now beaming at Bill. However he did not have a chance to return the greetings, for his surrogate daughter immediately started chatting away. Some part of him was actually happy for her chatty nature at the moment, for it gave him some time to gather himself. When Roslin had moved her position on the bench he had taken the chance to check her out more closely. She was dressed in sweatpants, sneakers and a short black sport's bra - the kind all of his female soldiers wore when working out, however Roslin's did not look like it fitted properly. The poor man swallowed; if he had to guess, he would say that bra was definitely one, maybe even two sizes to small. His eyes found hers and noted a rather amused expression: his gazing had obviously not gone unnoticed.

Quickly he scratched the back of his head and hoped that was enough to cover his blushing, then he steered his attention back to what Starbuck was telling him.

"… so I offered her to lend some of my training clothes. Just could not stand it anymore seeing our President working out in a blouse and somehow I got talked into showing her some exercises she could do." Laura laughed at that point. "Well, as you know me, I am a terribly kind person with a huge heart and relented." That part was accompanied with a wink from Starbuck and another giggle from Laura. Bill could not help himself, watching those small and joyful interactions between these women made him happy.

"And now look at her!" Starbuck spread her arms in a presenting manner towards the president. "Maybe her breasts are a bit larger than mine but she totally looks the part, doesn't she?" At that comment Laura burst out into loud laughter. Kara grinned from ear to ear but suppressed the urge of joining in. Instead she kept looking at Bill, who was once again fighting a blush. He lowered his eyes towards the floor and mumbled something that sounded vaguely like a "she does".

"Okay Lieutenant, how about you leave the Admiral to do what he came here for and instead resume our training?" That proposal was music in his ears. With "a good idea" he left the two of them to themselves and made his way towards the punchbag. That was the same place he came back to 90 minutes later, after finishing his programme, to cool down. He was proud that Kara had volunteered to help Laura out, it was a very kind gesture. However, the laughing, giggling and talking in the gym he could have done without. He was not really angry with her though, he knew his annoyance was not her fault, it was more his own. Why couldn't he just stop thinking about Laura? She was the President and he the Admiral; they had their jobs, their roles to play in this fleet. They had responsibilities. Maybe he had lowered these rules on New Caprica, but in his defence, she had not been in a leading role back then. His right fist hit the bag harder than intended. Who was he trying to fool? He had been weak, had given into something beautiful and now he was craving for more, for her.

His wrist felt a bit sore after that last impact. A sign to stop for today he decided. After removing the bindings around his fists, he did some minor stretching to prevent the muscles in his shoulders from becoming too tight. Some feet away from where he stood he could hear Kara say: "Okay, you can finish the last three minutes on the treadmill without me, I am expected somewhere in 10 minutes. Once you are done, just bring back my clothes to the pilot's quarters, I will make sure they land in the laundry. See you in three days?"

"If nothing comes up, you certainly will!" came Laura's happy yet breathless reply. "Thank you Starbuck." she added.

"No problem Madame Prez!" Bill watched Kara pick up a bottle from the floor and then head towards the hatch. Before leaving the gym she turned into his direction. "I'm heading for a game of cards Admiral, care to join?" He knew that she knew he would decline. Before the attacks he had sometimes engaged in their little game session, but never on a regular basis and ever since the colonies had been destroyed he had stayed away completely. Not that he disliked a good game or the company, but it was his philosophy that his presence would put the others under pressure and he felt it was better for their morales to have some fun without their Admiral watching them.

"No, thanks for asking Starbuck. You go and teach them how it's done!" Kara nodded understandingly and with a "boom, boom, boom!" accompanied by a salute she exited the room, leaving Adama and Roslin on their own, apart from some souls doing quietly their workout at the other side of the room.

Bill felt a bit lost. He knew Laura had followed the exchange and was now looking at him, but he did not know what to do next. Taking the risk he directed his gaze her way too. She was smirking, and sweaty. Her hair had been put together in a neat plaid earlier, but now several strands had come lose and were pointing into various directions. Actually she looked kind of cute, at least it made Bill chuckle. He was an idiot, how could he allow his feelings to make himself insecure around her? Of course it was always more dangerous in situations like these, when she was just Laura and he just Bill, but Laura was also his friend. No matter what, he should never forget that.

His mind feeling lighter he made his way over to her on the treadmill. "Three minutes should be up by now." he commented.

"Almost.", was the reply, "31 seconds to go." Laura's breathing was heavy and her body was obviously begging her to stop. Yet she was a good and dutiful student and refused to give in so close to the end. "Done!" With a triumphant gleam she jumped off the machine. Bill nodded at her. "Good job. I have to admit I am surprised you are taking this so seriously." That comment made her raise an eyebrow.

"And may I ask why is that?"

"I just would not have expected you to be interested in doing all the weight lifting exercises etc. You struck me more as the running and yoga kind of woman. That's all."

"Well in that case, you might be careful Admiral. I may have some more surprises up my sleeve."

Was she trying to flirt with him? Adama laughed, he did not know what else to do. In the end he decided to change the topic.

"I don't want to interfere with Starbuck's training but you should take a hot shower now, it's the best method to relax your muscles after such an intense workout."

"And it takes care of the smell!" Roslin apparently was in a funny mood today, the workout seemed to have made her relax a lot. He liked that side of her, reminded him of another time when she had been rather silly, as she herself described her behaviour from that night.

She turned around and like Starbuck had done a couple of minutes ago, she picked up a bottle along with a small towel. Then she turned back towards him. "But before I take that highly recommended shower I need to bring Starbuck's things back and pick up my bag." She looked down her body whilst talking. Bill wondered whether she too had seen that drop of sweat disappearing between her breasts. "I left them in the pilot's quarters, you know?", she added. This time her hands had moved to adjust the sport's bra – at least that's what he thought she had intended to do. In Bill's opinion she had merely made her breasts move in a very erotic and tempting way, the tightening he was feeling in his pants agreed with that theory. Being aroused in her presence was not a new situation for the man, however it seemed in these new and different surroundings he had troubles in hiding what was going on in his mind. When Laura focused her eyes back on his she started to smirk in a very satisfied way. "Would you mind showing me the way back to their quarters? I'm sure my guards would welcome some time off." His mind was screaming. He shouldn't, he had work to do back in his own quarters...there really was no time to play guide for the president, especially when she looked and dressed the way she was at that moment. But he was only a man, right? It was only a walk of five minutes, not much time would go missing, right? And so he agreed.

The guards indeed seemed happy about ending their shift earlier than expected. The Admiral suspected they were heading to join Kara's table when they left towards the direction of the mess. On their way to the pilot's quarters Laura appeared to be her usual self again. Not as serious as the President but also less...flirtatious than she had been in the gym. As long as he did not glance at her cleavage, it allowed Bill's mind to relax again and focus on what she was telling him.

In almost no time they had reached their destination. He turned the hatch's wheel and then opened it for her. Laura quickly passed him and he followed her inside. True to what she had told him, a black bag was sitting on a chair next to Kara's rack. Laura opened one of the side compartments and pulled out a pair of glasses which she quickly put on. "Much better." she commented, then looked around the room.

"You know, I admire these people. I already feel crowded on Colonial One, but at least I have a whole room to myself. How do they cope with having nothing more than a small curtain offering some privacy in a room shared with-" she counted the racks, "9 other people?!"

"You get used to it." Bill provided as an answer. "Aha" was the disbelieving reaction. He sighed and tried to explain, although he knew a mere civilian could never understand. "In the military there is no room for 'privacy' at least in the way you are used to it. We are one, a team, companions, family, however you want to call it, but the individual has to stand back. I know it sounds harsh, but only that way you can ensure that everybody works as they should and act accordingly in a crisis or combat."

Laura watched him thoughtfully. "I think I understand." She paused for a moment. "But I still don't envy them. I mean...the whole room learns what you are doing in the rack, or whether you're alone!" she pointed out. Bill chuckled. "Yeah, you get used to that too."

That made her raise an eyebrow. "Speaking of experience, aren't you Admiral?" Her tone had become teasing, just like her grin. For the third time that day Bill felt a blush spreading on his cheeks. What was going on today? He glanced at his feet and muttered "Yes, well...I had my needs too."

"Had?" he could hear her approaching him while asking. A hand was placed on his cheek and guided his face to look back up again. "You no longer have needs...Husker?" When she used his call sign he knew he had lost his inner fight. He did not know where this was going but now knew without a doubt that wherever she led, he would follow.

"I would not say that, Ms Roslin." It seemed right to use her teacher's title now that she had called him Husker. Name's of other times, so to say. At the same time he used his right hand to pull her closer and put his left on the base of her neck, which he started to caress.

"I see." She muttered when pressing her hips toward his groin and feeling his erection pressing into her abdomen. Both groaned. Laura used her thumb to trace the line of Bill's lower lip whilst he allowed his right hand to move lower, beneath the fabric of her sweatpants, to cup her soft bottom. Both their eyes met and for a second they just stood there and gazed into blue and green depths, then they moved closer and finally their lips met. It was a perfect kiss, neither too slow and careful nor too rough and wild, just perfect. Their tongues touched and caressed, first each other and then their lips. It was not until the need for air became too demanding to ignore that they released each other. Panting a bit Laura sighed "oh Bill" and he pressed his forehead against hers. He felt just as dishevelled as she looked. "I want you Bill" the words were whispered, yet he heard them loud and clearly. He took her face in both his hands and locked eyes again. "Please" It was all he needed to hear.

For a little while they remained standing on the same spot, kissing and touching each other until faint noises of by-passers reached Laura's ears. Bill was busy with exploring her breasts, which he had already freed from the sport's bra when she suddenly pulled away. Disappointed he moaned and grabbed her hips to prevent her from moving away too far. Her face was flushed and her eyes filled with so much desire that it took him everything to not give into his primal instincts and just take her instead of taking the time to find out why she had made him stop.

"Bill, what if someone comes in?"

A glance toward the hatch showed him that they had not closed it completely after entering. Her worries were justified.

"There's a sign." His eyes wandered to her feet. "Give me your shoes."

"What?"

"It's okay, just take them off. You will see."

She did as he asked and handed him Starbuck's shoes. The Admiral positioned them outside the hatch and then closed it. All the while Laura had remained standing by the table, watching him carefully and not bothering one second with covering up her bare breasts. She obviously was not a shy woman, at least not in front of him. He loved that.

"So, and that is going to prevent us from being caught?" The scepticism in that question was more than audible.

Bill smiled and approached her again whilst pulling off his own shoes and tanks. "Yes. It's an official code on battlestars, it guarantees the privacy you pointed out earlier." His hands moved to his sweat pants but before he was able to untie them, two smaller, delicate hands stopped him. Laura wriggled an eyebrow at him "Let me." No argument against that followed.

"Alright Husker, then why don't you show me what pilots do in their moments of privacy." Her smile was saucy and it drove him crazy. Bill lifted her onto the table and replied: "With the greatest pleasure Madame President."

With slight pressure, Bill pushed her upper body backwards until she came to rest on her hands. Then he lowered his head and resumed exploring Laura's breasts, encouraged by her moans and her right hand that started stroking his shoulders and head. Her feet wrapped themselves around his hip and with little force Laura pulled her body closer to his, until her crotch was rubbing against his. A deep guttural moan escaped Bill and in reply her hand moved down his back and up again, scratching it lightly in the process.

A bang interrupted the moment, followed straight by a loud female voice.

"Ey Starbuck! We just finished our showers. You have 10 seconds then we come in!" A group of pilots had returned.

A panicked "frak" escaped Laura before Bill was able to cover her mouth. The voice on the other side started counting, whilst he quickly pulled her off the table. Laura picked up her bra and in no time jumped onto Starbuck's rack. Bill had been thinking along the same lines, grabbed his clothes and shoes and followed her. Just as the familiar sound of a hatch opening reached their ears, Laura pulled the curtain of the rack close.

The pilots entered the room, chatting and laughing with each other. None of them having the faintest idea that their half naked Admiral and President were hiding in one of their comrade's rack because they had almost been caught making out like two teenagers in summer camp.

It was of course that moment, that provoked one of Laura Roslin's giggle fits. She pressed her hand hard against her face and tried to think of other things, but Bill soon realised it was a hopeless fight. He had no intention of being caught, as he knew she had as well, and he saw only one possible way to help her. Nudging her hands away, he took her face in both of his hands and gave her a long and deep kiss. It worked! Almost like magic. Triumphantly and Bill pushed the two of them back, until he was cowering above her. A sudden gasp and push against his chest made him release Laura.

Instantly they heard catcalls from the other side of the curtain. Both of them froze and waited but nothing more happened, then Laura pulled at his dog tags, indicating they felt cold against her skin. Without making a fuss, Bill pulled them off his neck and again returned to kissing that beautiful woman beneath him.

They managed to make out with the pilots being present in the room and not being caught. To their great luck, the group went straight to mess after changing into clothes and thus gave the leaders of humanity a chance to escape unseen and with their dignities in tact.

In the middle of dinner, one of the pilots excused herself to use the bathroom, where she was surprised to meet a freshly showered Kara Thrace.

"I've known you're one for a quicky Starbuck, but never thought you to be that quick!" Irritated but tired Starbuck decided not to indulge the younger woman but roughly told her to mind her own business and left the room. In the pilot's quarters she dried the rest of her body up and then got ready for flight duty. Maybe it was intuition or fate that caused Kara to sit unto her rack and switch on the light. The bright yellow rays illuminated her cushion and slightly confused Kara spotted a single copper coloured strand of hair on her pillow. A bit dumbfounded she eyed it for a moment then a soft golden sparkle drew her attention away from the strand. Something was lying in the corner of her rack, she leaned forward and pulled out a golden chain with an octagon attached to it.

"What the…?!" But subconsciously Kara had already figured out what her rag had been used for. Angry and a bit disgusted she read the name on the dog tags to find out whose ass she had to kick. However, once she realised the name on the plate said _W. Adama_ those thoughts were replaced by shock and surprise. Never having been slow on grasping things, she figured who these two pieces of evidence belonged to and what they had probably been doing in her rack.

She had to admit that the idea was still a bit disgusting; imagining the Old Man, the closest thing she had had to a father the past couple of years, indulging in such activities was not exactly a welcome image, but she had to admit that finding out he and the President were literally in each other's pants, was exciting!

Already having a plan in mind, Starbuck dumped the strand of hair, jumped into her flight suit, grabbed the dog tags and hurried out of the pilots' quarters. She had to be in her viper in almost no time but she could not wait with what she had in mind. In an attempt to save some time she jogged all the way to the Admiral's quarters.

Bill looked up when Starbuck entered his room. After seeing Laura off he had retired for the day with the intention of getting some more paperwork done. She would be back the next day and had proposed they might share dinner together. To onlookers it had been a perfect practical suggestion, since there was always some work they had to talk about. But Bill's insides had jumped in joy and he agreed with her immediately. After what had happened today he knew there was no return and he was also aware that sharing a meal from now on probably also meant sharing something else.

The young pilot, closed the hatch behind her then approached the table with a huge grin plastering her face.

"Sir, just found something you and the President must have lost."

With glee in her eyes she showed him his dog tags. For a moment Bill did not know how to breathe. Kara's tone and her demeanour told him that it was useless to come up with any kind of excuse, she already suspected what must have happened. He could feel the burn spreading on his cheeks. Starbuck had caught them after all. She knew. And she enjoyed torturing him.

Swallowing hard, the Admiral stood up and took his tags back. He muttered "thank you" and immediately pulled them back over his head and tucked them beneath his uniform. Only after everything was back in place did he dare to look his visitor into the face. That grin was still there.

"Don't you have to be somewhere?" He asked rather gruffly.

She winked at him. "Yes, sir. Already on my way, just thought you might want those back." It was still there, that grin.

Bill felt so embarrassed, it took him everything to play cool. "Good."

Starbuck saluted him and then turned to go.

"Erm...keep it to yourself, would you?" Although he was sure she would not use her findings for the newest fleet gossip, he just had to ask her.

"Of course." Kara answered, not even turning around. She span the wheel of the hatch but before opening it, she looked back over her shoulder. "Just let me know whether I have to change my linen sir, will you?"

He was sure she could see his red face from where she was standing. Cackling, Starbuck left the mortified Admiral in his quarters.


End file.
